Chapter 22

", what did I do now?" Myungsoo muttered, staring at the ground. He brought his hands to his hair and sighed in frustration.

Soorin closed the door to the roof quietly and leaned against it. She fell on her knees and began crying her heart out. What did she even do to deserve this kind of treatment? She didn’t even do anything wrong and even if she did, Myungsoo could’ve told her nicely and not yell at her. He even called her a but Soorin couldn't care less about that. She was even more upset about how Myungsoo thought she talked to him because she wanted to attract attention. She was no where near to trying to get his attention.

Soorin lost the mood to hang out with Woohyun, thanks to the jerk Kim Myungsoo who called her an attention seeking . She took out her phone and typed a message to Woohyun telling him that she was not feeling well so she can’t hang out with him after school. Obviously a blatant lie told.

Soorin stumbled down the stairs, with her blur line of vision due to tears flooding her eyes. Her head felt so much pain but not as much as what her heart was feeling. She stood up and tried to find her way to the nearest restroom. With her clumsiness, she fell to the ground once again but this time, someone caught her. "Soorin, what are you-" Woohyun grabbed Soorin's hand and lifted up her chin. "Why are you-" "I am okay, oppa." Soorin replied bluntly and quickly rubbed the tears off her eyes. Pulling herself up, she ran away from Woohyun and ran into a restroom to hide herself in the toilet cubicle.

"That jerk, I asked Soorin to look for him and now she's back crying. Where the heck is he!?" Woohyun thought with fuming rage as he ran after Soorin.

Soorin calmed herself down in the toilet and tried hard to freshen herself up with the cold running water. She washed her face thoroughly, trying to erase the traces of her crying. She stared into her reflection in the mirror. "Yeah, this face makes you hate me so much right? Well, I hate myself more. " Inhaling heavily, Soorin stepped out of the toilet, head hanging low as she held her tears in.

"Soorin-ah..." Woohyun held onto Soorin hands as she was walking like a soulless girl who was lost. Soorin looked up at Woohyun and tried to speak but she couldn't. She could only think of the words in her head , "", "flirt" and "attention seeking". shut tightly as Woohyun waited for her to speak.

"Let's go, I am going to look for Myungsoo. What exactly did he do to you? " Woohyun spat, obviously annoyed at Myungsoo's inconsideration. "Don't. I- It's just me, it's not him.. I want to go back home … I am sorry.." Soorin replied with stutters. Woohyun felt his heart dropped a thousand feet into the ground.

"I can send you home. Don't you dare say no." Woohyun dragged Soorin towards the school's car park, ignoring the flock of students rushing back to class after the bell rang that signalled the end of recess. Soorin just followed Woohyun cluelessly, there was no point in rejecting someone so stubborn at times. Either way, she couldn't go home by herself, judging the state she was in.

Putting the helmet on for Soorin, Woohyun nudged Soorin to get on the motorcycle as Soorin obediently did. She was in no mood and neither did she had the energy to speak. Woohyun drove Soorin home and walked her to her doorstep. "Oppa, thank you.." Soorin spoke softly. As she turned to step into her house, Woohyun spun her around and pulled her into his embrace. The warmth from the embrace brought tears to Soorin eyes but Soorin fought them back. She didn't want to cry in front of Woohyun, he would worry a hell lot. "I am always here for you, Soorin-ah." Soorin nodded against Woohyun chest, pulling herself away from his embrace. "I am fine, oppa, go home, see you tomorrow, komawo." Soorin rushed into the house, afraid that she would break down if she stood in front of Woohyun any longer.

Soorin rushed into her room and locked her room door. She went into the toilet and showered. A hot shower was the only thing that can help to calm her mind down for a bit.

After showering, Soorin sat down on her bed. “Lee Soorin! Stop thinking about it already! That Myungsoo is no one to you. You don’t need to feel so sad just because he called you an attention seeking who flirts!” Soorin said to herself. Sadly, her mind wouldn’t listen to her.

Once again Soorin fell deeply into her own thoughts and Myungsoo once again appeared in her mind with those horrible words.

She could no longer hold back those tears that she had been trying to fight back for the past few hours. All the tears just started to flow out uncontrollably.  Why is she even so affected by this matter? Why is she so sad just because Kim Myungsoo hates her? Why?

A single tear slid down from her warm, butterscotch eyes, followed by another one, and another one, until soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed it’s way down her pale cheek, releasing the sadness and sorrow that has been held inside of her for all this time but she did not make a sound. She tried really hard to distract herself, thinking of those happy times but everything just reverts back to what happened earlier that morning.

Her shoulders shook with grief and she wiped the tears away hastily from her already wet cheeks. “I-I- Why am I crying so much?” Soorin choked.

A wave of sadness rushed over her as she clutched onto her shirt tightly. It hurts. It hurts so so much. It was the first time she cried so hard before. She didn’t even cry when people called her dumb and clumsy. But now, she’s crying just because Myungsoo said those things to her.

There’s no reason for her to be so depressed and sad over Myungsoo’s words. It was crazy to think that a girl could get so emotional over a guy who merely spat a few words but no, those words that came from Myungsoo meant the whole world to Soorin.

She felt as though the sadness flowed through her veins and deadened her mind. It was like poison killing her and dulling her other emotions, leaving only hurt and sadness behind. The world was lost to her and she knew nothing that would bring it back to focus. Why? She doesn’t even know why she is feeling this way.

At times like this, she wished someone was there for her, comfort her, hold onto her, tell her that everything is going to be alright and that she's going to be okay. Sadly though, nothing was going to work out for her at this point of time.

Slowly and slowly, Soorin's eyes began to droop. Her eyes were swelling red and she could not help but close them. Soorin fell into a deep slumber.

She woke up in the morning, hearing the alarm. She stared at the clock. 7am. She walked to the bathroom and look at her messy hair, reminding herself how much she was crying yesterday. She didn't like how she seemed so vulnerable and she wouldn't be able to stand the worried look on Woohyun's face when she go to school. That's when she decided to lock herself at home and not go to school that day.

Suddenly, her stomach groaned loudly and she just remembered how she had skipped dinner the day before. , she couldn't skip meals! She had gastric problems! Soorin washed up quickly and rushed out into the kitchen. She checked the fridge and she realized she only had a few packet of cheese and a packet of milk. Gosh, she forgot to restock her fridge.

Leaving Soorin no choice, she put on some casual clothes and headed to the nearest supermarket which was just few blocks away from her house. Just as Soorin was on the way to the supermarket, the sky started to darken and clouds started to gather. "I need to rush," Soorin mumbled as she started to quicken her steps to the supermarket.

"Please don't rain now, please." Soorin pleaded but the gods didn't seem to hear her. Beads of rain soon landed on her cheeks and the sky roared with thunder. "." Soorin just left her block and there were still about 5 blocks to go before she reaches the supermarket.

Soon, it began sprinkling. Little droplets of water drenched Soorin's hair, skin and shirt. The water droplets began to grow larger and fall more frequently. The light 'pitter-patter' of rain turned into wet thuds as they fall to the ground. Soorin started running as fast as she could. The sprinkling turned into a torrential downpour. "Just three more blocks, please." Soorin stumbled on her feet as she ran faster.

The sound of thunder rolled through the area as another lightning bolt split the sky. Soorin could see the supermarket just a couple metres  in front of her. Her hair and shirt was all wet and her shoes were all filled with water. Why did she even think she could reach the supermarket without getting caught in the rain?

By the time Soorin reached the supermarket, she was wet from head to toe. Dripping wet, she stepped into the supermarket, cold and greeted by the strong wind coming from the air conditioner. She sneezed due to the cold and shivered as she rubbed her arms. A kind guy passed her a packet of tissue and told her to keep it. She smiled and nodded, moving away to grab the groceries she needed. She was too hungry to think and she just grabbed whatever that was edible. Rushing to the counter, she bumped into that guy again. That guy who passed her tissue. He looked at her, grinning and said, "Clumsy one, aren't you?" His laughter was so contagious that it brought a smile to Soorin's face. However, her smile was soon replaced with a frown. Her head was spinning and her vision became blurry. Soon, she felt as though the world around her was spinning and she collapsed.

"Yah! Gwenchana?! Please open your eyes!" Dongwoo as known as the kind guy everybody knows, asked worriedly while shaking Soorin’s shoulders vigorously. Sensing that there was no reaction from Soorin, he fished out his phone and dialed for the ambulance.

In no time, Soorin was being rushed to the hospital with Dongwoo sitting in the ambulance car with her. "Gosh, will she be okay? Let me call Howon and ask him what I should do." Dongwoo thought to himself. He pulled his phone out and  dialed a number. Teletubies was shown on his phone screen. Which guy on earth would use that display picture for a friend?

Howon told Dongwoo he would rush right over since he could hear how worried Dongwoo sounded and he was the only one who knew what kind of person he was. Dongwoo would never leave a sick and helpless person to suffer alone. "Hyung, I think you should check her phone and call someone who is close to her? They might be worried." Howon reminded Dongwoo. After a few more words, Dongwoo hung up the phone and reached for Soorin's cell.

He dialed the two person whom Soorin recently spoke to. Of course, both Myungsoo and Woohyun was called up. They couldn't answer though, they were still in lessons so Dongwoo sent a text to them. "The owner of this phone fainted and is being sent to Woollim hospital right now, please answer if you are there."

Arriving at the hospital, Dongwoo was told to wait outside as the doctor checked on Soorin. After about 30 minutes, the doctor came out with a worried look and asked for Soorin's family members."Who is Lee Soorin's relative?"the doctor asked as he stood by the door. "I am her  friend! What's wrong with her?" Dongwoo asked the doctor. "She is running a high fever and she has been working herself too hard lately, hasn’t she?" Dongwoo was clueless, he only got to know Soorin just now. "Can I go in and see her now?" "Yes you can, just be careful not to agitate her, she is very weak right now." The doctor replied and walked away with pieces of paper in his hand.

Dongwoo didn't know what to do. He walked into Soorin's ward quietly and sat at the chair infront of her bed. "Ward 207." He texted Hoya and texted Myungsoo and Woohyun using Soorin's phone. Dongwoo looked at Soorin and he only realised how pale she looked. Why didn't he noticed it before? He could have do something about it. He felt really guilty though it wasn't really his fault.

While waiting for Hoya, Dongwoo stared at the ground and played with his fingers. He didn't know why he was nervous and afraid. He was scared that something might happen to Soorin and he will never forgive himself. The truth was, someone dear to him had suffer the same thing and left him. He was devastated and he didn't want it to happen again...

"Dongwoo hyung!" Hoya whispered while bursting into the ward. Seconds later, Woohyun and Myungsoo rushed in. The four guys looked at each other weirdly and Woohyun spoke up. "I am Woohyun, he's Myungsoo, what happened to Soorin?" Woohyun questioned while glancing at Soorin who's currently asleep. Dongwoo greeted both Woohyun and Myungsoo then started to explain what happened to Soorin.

Four of them went out of the ward in order not to disturb Soorin. "The doctor said she needs more rest and they said she seem to overtire herself.. You guys know what happened to her?" Dongwoo asked. Woohyun glared at Myungsoo, obviously blaming him for what happened to Soorin while Myungsoo just shrugged. Myungsoo was blaming himself in his mind.He wondered if Soorin did not sleep properly due to those words he said. He felt sorry and knew he shouldn't have said those thoughtless words to Soorin just because he's jealous. What's done was already done, Myungsoo could only anticipate what's going to happen next. Though this time, he is going to make the first step.

Hoya observed Myungsoo and Woohyun, realising how their uniforms seemed so familiar. Woollim high? Isn't that..? "You guys are from Woollim high?" Hoya blurted out. Woohyun nodded and Hoya continued. "Thats's great! We will be transferring to your school with a few of our other friends!" Hoya beamed. Everything happened so suddenly that Myungsoo and Woohyun didn't know how to react. First, they met two strangers who saved Soorin and now they are going to be in the same school as them? Is this fate or coincidence?

"Yeah, our managers are moving our dorms and we have to transfer schools.. Sad but hey, I guess we have you guys!" Dongwoo cheerfully answered. "Are they a band or what? Managers? Why would they even have managers?" Myungsoo who was known for his brilliant mind thought out loud as soon as he heard what Dongwoo said. "Yeah we are, sort of a to-debut idol group. We are still in the progress of shaping the group, we were thinking of adding two more members actually.. Just couldnt find the right people to join.. Maybe you two can join us?" Dongwoo  who seems to know what Myungsoo is thinking about said while giving eye contact to Hoya, asking for his agreement.

After Hoya received a call from their manager, Dongwoo and him left hurriedly, saying that they will see Myungsoo and Woohyun soon.

"So, what exactly did you do to Soorin?" Woohyun confronted Myungsoo for the first time. "She was crying so much when I saw her, just what did you-" "What are you trying to say Nam Woohyun? Stop acting like you're her boyfriend or dad. You have absolutely no rights to interfere in this matter." Myungsoo said in an annoyed tone. Woohyun almost wanted to yell at him but he calmed himself down since they were in the hospital. "I have known Soorin longer than you do and don't say I have no rights to interfere because I have always been there for her. Unlike you, don't you realise how much you're hurting her, Kim Myungsoo?" Myungsoo eyes widened at Woohyun's reply. That's right, he made Soorin upset quite a few times and he couldn't deny that fact.

"I would stay here with Soorin all day and night but this time, Kim Myungsoo, you'll do that." Woohyun ordered. Woohyun hoped that Soorin and Myungsoo could talk things out so that Soorin would at least stop crying for that Myungsoo. He knew how Soorin felt and he couldn't help but to admit that hurtful feeling in his heart when he walked away from her ward. He loves her so much that he would do anything just to make her happy again.

"Damn you, Nam Woohyun." Myungsoo slumped into a sofa situated a few wards away from Soorin's ward.

Breathing in and out, Myungsoo organised his thoughts and muster up his courage to walk into Soorin's ward. His heart palpitated wildly against his chest and he could feel a huge lump in his throat. Stepping into the ward, he swallowed hard and pulled a chair next to Soorin's bed. Sitting on the chair, he stared intently at Soorin. His heart hurts seeing her like this, lying on a hospital bed with needles in her hand for the IV drip. He went too far and he regretted it. He shouldn't have threw all of his anger at her.

Myungsoo held Soorin's hand in his hands. He felt emotionally bankrupt. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to feel, nothing left but the void that enveloped his mind in swirling blackness. "Soorin, I-" Once again, Myungsoo felt that lump in his throat and his eyes became teary. The weight in Myungsoo's chest became heavier and small crystal beads trailed down his cheeks. He was never good in expressing emotions and he thought Soorin wouldn't get affected by it. Now here he is, staring at the girl lying on a bed. That girl was the first person who brought a smile to his face and never did he thought he would hurt her in return. "I, I- I am sorry Soorin, I didn't mean any of those words really, I-" Myungsoo trembled, he didn't even know how to say those words. Tears were flowing down his cheeks and some of them landed on Soorin's hand. Honestly, Myungsoo thought that by teasing her, Soorin would have felt something but I guess it was the wrong way to express how he felt.

"Please wake up, Soorin ah, I miss your smile, talk to me, please." Myungsoo looked on the floor while fidgeting . As though his prayers were heard, Soorin fingers started moving very slowly. Maybe the aspirin and pain killers were wearing off. Myungsoo didn't realise though, he kept on talking.

"I was just jealous. I really didn't mean what I said. I was jealous of you being so close to Woohyun and I realised that I was jealous because I-" Myungsoo stopped then took a  deep breath.

"I like you, Lee Soorin." Myungsoo blurted out.